Page 257 of Wild Mustang Security Firm

She wasn’t ready to let him go. The few nights they’d shared thus far just weren’t enough. She needed more. More time and more memories to share.

She meant to see they had a lifetime’s worth.

Her watch alarm went off at three a.m., startling her awake. Feeling as if she’d barely slept, she readied herself and quickly ran through her preflight list again. She ensured that having been outside, covered only in an old camouflage tarp, all of the munitions were in good working order, and all the while, in her head she had only one thought. This needed to be precise. She needed to hit Fariq hard and fast, in order to get Thom and hopefully Christian out before those bastards ever knew what hit them.

Climbing into the pitch-black cockpit, she turned over both engines. As the chopper lifted off the ground, Avery engaged the stealth capability. She giggled; something about using stealth technology always made her think of Wonder Woman in her invisible airplane.

Staying close to the ground, Avery snaked toward Marshan. If she’d calculated correctly, she would be over water and out of sight while it was still dark, then hit the compound moments before sunrise… the darkest hours before dawn.

The helicopter skimmed along the barren landscape, dropping to only a hair’s breadth above the undulating waves of the warm sea. The chopper was, so far, living up to the whispers about its abilities. It was fast, catty as all get out, and she felt practically invincible. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, she would be lying on her belly in bed next to Thom, Unable to sit, sure, but unmistakably safe once more in her loving daddy’s reassuring embrace.

Thom jolted awake when a hand clamped over his mouth. It took his eyes seconds to adjust to the near nonexistent light, but gradually a man’s shape separated from theshadows enough for him to tell it was Christian who stood over him.

“If I’m right, and I’m generally very good at reading people, your girl is about to come in guns a-blazing to rescue you,” Christian very softly said. “Now, she’s going to want to get me out, but I’m expendable and you need to make sure she understands that. It’s imperative that you get the information now in her possession to General Markoff.”

General Markoff?

Prying his hand away, Thom sat up. “You’re working for who? NATO? CIA? British Intelligence? Interpol?”

“NATO, but my handler was murdered last week in Paris. The operation was completely covert and the only person I trust is Markoff. If something has happened to him, it’ll be up to your firm to get this info to the right people, though I’ll be damned if I know who that is anymore. Fariq is planning a major operation against the International Summer Games.”

“How the hell does Avery know any of this?”

“When I copped a feel, I planted a microdot on her with the coordinates of this place and instructions about how to retrieve the data.”

“Oh, my God,” Thom groaned, shoving out of bed. He grabbed for his shoes, dismay already giving way to anger. “I don’t know who to spank first, her or you!”

The sun had yet to make an appearance and there was still no light, but the inky blackness was becoming less oppressive. At least until the first missile hit. Part of the thousand-year-old fortress exploded, shaking all the stone floor beneath their feet and nearly knocking both men down.

Cristian looked at Thom. “I believe that would be your rescue party of one.”

“I am definitely starting with you!” Thom spat back.

“No time.” Hurrying to the door to make sure the coast was still clear, Christian said, “Head straight down the hall. There’s a set of doors leading out on the balcony. She should be waiting for you. Tell Finn I’m sorry.”

“Tell her yourself. Come with me. We’ll get your information to Markoff together.”

Shaking his head, Christian took a step back from the door. “I can’t. Not yet.”

Something was holding him here. Thom could see it in the look of determination filtering through his eyes. His instinct was to argue, but the other man was right about one thing. There was no time.

“We’ll come back for you,” he promised, but it was easy to see the other man didn’t for a second believe he would live to see that day. Whatever was still holding him here, Thom hoped it was worth it.

Left with no other choice and before Christian could see it coming, Thom threw a vicious roundhouse punch, knocking the other man out cold. He barely managed to catch Christian as he fell, lowering him gently to the floor. Stealing Christian’s gun, he checked to make sure he hadn’t broken the guy’s jaw before whispering, “That was for fondling my girl. Hopefully, it’ll help convince them that I escaped without your help.”

He had to hurry.

Peeking out into the hall and seeing no one, Thom hurried to follow Christian’s directions. He found the doors at the end of the hall and, flinging them open, burst out onto the balcony. Movement both above and behind him caught his eye. The gun was cocked in his hand before he realized it was Avery, turning the chopper to face the balcony as she rose up over the balustrade to fire into the group of men converging on his position. Having neutralized the immediate threat, she spun thechopper so that the lower rung of the landing gear was level with the top of the railing and the door to the cockpit opened.

“Hey, Daddy! Wanna come for a ride in my new toy?” she said, trying to keep a light and airy, neutral tone.

He didn’t need to be asked twice. Heaving himself up onto the landing gear, he swung into the chopper and slammed the door behind him. Dropping into the passenger seat, he pulled on a helmet on and glanced back once, just to make sure they really were alone.

“Don’t you hey, Daddy, me,” he told her hotly. “You, little girl, are in more trouble than you’re going to know what to do with.”

Firing another missile into the compound, Avery spun the chopper to bring her guns to bear on another group of defenders. Even amidst his fear for her safety and the adrenaline surging through his system, he couldn’t help but admire her skill with the helicopter.

“I figured I was in trouble and we were alone, so Sir or Daddy was the appropriate term.”

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